Brian Burrows

Women’s lacrosse struggles against SUNY Cortland

OSWEGO, N.Y.  The Oswego State women’s lacrosse team had an afternoon contest with the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons Friday. Cortland came in as the number one team in the SUNYAC, and with an undefeated program record against the Lakers, 31-0, and looked to keep both. 

The Red Dragons started hot. They got on the board just 44 seconds into the game, and kept their lead the entire contest. By the end of the firsT, SUNY Cortland had scored two more, and held a 3-0 advantage. The second period was when Cortland did a lot of their damage. They scored eight more unanswered goals, three players finding the back of the net more than once. Cortland’s Lauren Hopsicker had a second period hat trick, and Hannah Lorenzen finished the hat trick she started in the first. The Lakers would score one before the half, Logan Castiglione netting one, but the Lakers still were down 11-1 at the half. Cortland kept up the pressure in the second half, scoring three more times in the third period to extend their advantage to 14-1. The Red Dragon’s scored twice more before the Lakers would answer in the fourth, but the fourth is when the Lakers found a little momentum. With just under eight minutes to go, Cortland got a penalty, and Oswego would capitalize. Isabella Lembo scored on the man-up advantage, for Oswego’s second, just nine seconds into the penalty. Lembo scored again just three minutes later for Oswego’s third, Castiglione tallying assists on both goals. The Red Dragons answered with one final goal, their seventeen of the game. Oswego would grab one more consolation goal, Shae McConnell scoring, assisted by Madison Davis. Oswego couldn’t match Cortland’s offensive prowess, and lost 17-4. Lembo scored twice for the Lakers and Castiglione had three points. A tough day between the pipes for Sarah Kamide, allowing 17 goals on 27 shots. For SUNY Cortland, five players had more than two goals, and three had more than four points.

The Lakers next matchup comes against SUNY Potsdam on Saturday April, 23. They now have a 4-9 (3-3 SUNYAC) record. They sit fifth in the SUNYAC with three games to go before the playoffs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM ROGERS, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Baseball sweeps with massive offensive output, loses series finale with Rochester

Oswego, N.Y.  The Oswego State baseball team took to the road to take on the Plattsburgh Cardinals for a three game set Monday and Tuesday, and had a their first home game Wednesday against the University of Rochester. The Lakers were coming off two non-conference losses, but were ready to turn it around and stay undefeated in SUNYAC play and avenge their loss to Rochester last week.  

The first game of Monday’s double header saw the Lakers take an early commanding lead. The Lakers grabbed two runs before an out was made, a third run cross the plate before the second out, and a Tishawn Featherstone three run shot saw the top of the first end 6-0. Kyle Lauria got his second RBI of the game in the second inning, with Lukas Olsson driving one of his own for runs seven and eight of the game. The Lakers had three more runs in the third and led 11-0. A scoreless fourth was followed by Oswego getting one more in the fifth, and the Cardinals finally answering with one of their own in the bottom half. In the sixth, Tishawn Featherstone got his second home run of the game, a solo shot, Ryan Enos drove in two more with a double, and Kyle Lauria hit a two run homer to give the Lakers a 17-1 lead. The seventh inning was when the Cardinals finally found their stride, scoring five of their six in the game. The Lakers got two more in the top of the ninth, and won the game 19-6. Anthony Van Fossen pitched five innings, striking out six in the game. Kyle Lauria had a game high five RBI’s and five hits in the game.

Game two of the double header saw Plattsburgh find the scoreboard first. A scoreless first inning and top of the second was followed by the Cardinals grabbing two runs in the bottom half. Oswego would answer with one in the third inning. The fourth was when Oswego finally found the lead. With the bases loaded, Ryan Enos would reach on a fielders choice and one run would score and tie the game. A Kyle Lauria single to right would score the leading run. A double steal with Lauria and Enos saw Lauria get second and Enos steal home. The Lakers left the inning with a 4-2 lead. The fifth and sixth innings were scoreless. In the top of the seventh, the Lakers grabbed four more runs, and the Lakers won 8-2. Kieran Finnegan pitched all seven innings for Oswego, striking out 10, with only five hits and one walk. Kyle Lauria again led the Lakers in RBIs with three, with Ryan EnosPaul Tammaro, and Tishawn Featherstone each scoring two runs.

The final game of the series was played on Tuesday. The first inning was again scoreless. Oswego got their first three runs of the game in the second, with Plattsburgh answering with one of their own. The third was led off with a CJ McCarthy solo shot, and Paul Tammaro would drive on the Lakers fifth later in the inning. Oswego got one more in the fourth, Kyle Lauria scoring on a wild pitch. The Cardinals crossed the plate for the second time in the bottom of the fifth, but Ryan Weiss would drive in two more for the Lakers in the sixth to extend their lead to 8-2. The Cardinals got three in the bottom of the seventh, but once again Oswego answered the following frame, scoring nine in the top of the eighth to extend the lead to 17-5, which would be the final score of the game. Ryan Weiss was the Lakers RBI leader with four, as well as leading the team in hits with four. Tyler Pecchia started the game for the Lakers, going four inning, striking out, allowing four hits, and one unearned run. He was relieved by Connor VanDreason, who went two innings in relief, and got the win for the game.

A Wednesday afternoon set with the University of Rochester Yellowjackets was game four of a busy week for the Lakers. The second and final matchup of the year between the two sides saw Rochester get on the board before the Lakers could even get an at bat. A leadoff home run got the Yellowjackets on the board early. A two-out single later in the inning drove in two more, and Rochester had a 3-0 lead after just half an inning. In the bottom of the second, a Julien Drew single brought home CJ McCarthy and got the Lakers on the board. Innings three through five were scoreless, and in the top the sixth, Rochester found the scoreboard once more. An error in right allowed a runner to score from third, and Rochester had a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, the Lakers would strike for two more and bring the game to 4-3. The eighth was scoreless, and the game would be called before the ninth due to lightning. Ryan Enos led the Lakers with two hits and two RBIs, CJ McCarthy drew two walks in the game and got a hit. Sean Dertinger started the game for Oswego, going five innings, allowing four runs three earned, striking out four, walking two, and giving up five hits. The Laker bullpen shut down the Yellow Jackets, only allowing one hit after the fifth.

Oswego now has a 16-6 (5-0 SUNYAC) record. They are the 21st ranked team in the country. They have a three game set with the Oneonta Red Dragons in Oneonta starting Friday with a double header.

PHOTO COURTESY OF OSWEGO ATHLETICS

 

Baseball loses two non-conference games

Rochester N.Y. — The Oswego State baseball team took a trip to Rochester to take on two non-conference opponents, The University of Rochester and St. John Fisher College. The first game was on Tuesday against the Rochester Yellowjackets. Oswego got started early, a one out home run by Ryan Enos in the top of the first saw them grab the 1-0 lead. Rochester wasn’t letting the Lakers get comfortable though, and in the bottom of the first they led off with back-to-back walks and then a three run home run left. A double later in the inning drove one more home, and the Yellowjackets had a 4-1 to start the second frame. The bottom of the second saw Rochester grab two more runs on a two-out, bases loaded single. The Lakers found the scoreboard again in the third, a lead of double followed by a hit-by-pitch brought Kyle Lauria to the plate. He would hit it out and drop the deficit to 6-4. In the bottom of the fourth the Yellowjackets drove in one more to extend their lead to 7-4, and in the bottom of the fifth they would tally their eighth and final run of the game. Innings six through nine were scoreless, and the Lakers were handed their fourth loss of the season. A total of eight batters were hit in the game, four by each side. 

The Lakers road trip in Rochester continued on Wednesday with a 3 P.M. matchup with the St. John Fisher Cardinals. A scoreless first inning was followed by five run bottom of the second for the Cardinals. A one out RBI single got the first run, a walk would load the bases, and then another walk brought in the second. After an out, a third walk of the inning drove in the third walk, and a single drove in runs for and five. The Lakers answered the following frame, a bases loaded, two-out double by Lukas Olsson cleared the bases and got the Lakers up to a 5-3 deficit. The Lakers tied it in the fourth. Ryan Enos was hit by a pitch with bases loaded to bring in the fourth run, and a Kyle Lauria walk brought home the fifth of the game for the Lakers. A scoreless fifth, was followed by the Lakers grabbing a single run in the top of the sixth. St. John Fisher tied it in the bottom of the eight at six on a solo shot to left. The Lakers wouldn’t score in the top of the ninth. The Cardinals led of the bottom of the ninth with a walk. The runner advanced to second on a passed ball, and was then driven in on a walk-off double, 7-6. Lukas Olsson led the Lakers with three RBIs, Kyle Lauria had two, and Ryan Enos driving in the final one.

The Lakers next matchup comes on the road against the Plattsburgh Cardinals for a three game set. Game one played on Friday, the other two played Saturday. The team now sits at a 13-5 (3-0 SUNYAC).

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

Baseball opens SUNYAC play with weekend series sweep

Endwell N.Y.  The Oswego State baseball team took to the road this weekend to take on the New Paltz Hawks for a three game set to open their SUNYAC play. They played two games Saturday, winning both, and took the series topper on Sunday. Saturday’s first game saw the Hawks grab an early 2-0 lead. A lead of single and then a one out walk got two men on the base paths, a two out double drove both runs home. The Lakers finally found their swings in the third inning. Back to back one out doubles saw the Lakers grab their first run of the inning. After a fly out, an error on the Hawks saw the second runner get home. A walk followed by a single and another walk saw the Lakers load the bases, and then Julien Drew would send them all home with a grand slam. They Lakers ended the inning with the lead 6-2. The next inning saw the Lakers put three more on the score board. A lead off double, followed by walk and single saw the Lakers load the bases for the second inning in a row. Julien Drew would come back up to the plate with two out and this time hit a double to drive in three, his fifth, sixth, and seventh RBI’s of the day. In the fifth Ryan Enos would drive out his sixth homer of the season, this one a two run shot, to put the Lakers up 11-2. Oswego got another run in the sixth. In the seventh the Lakers would hit another two run shot and drive in a third to put the lead to 13, 15-2. Oswego’s staters, Anthony Van Fossen, was relieved to start the eighth, he gave up six hits, two runs, and walked three. With Van Fossen out of the game, New Paltz found a grove. Back to back singles, followed by a single loaded the bases with none out in the inning. A fielder’s choice at third saw one run cross the plate, and left men at first and second. Another fielders choice saw the Hawks have men at first and third with two outs. A single scored one, and that was followed by bunt to load the bases. A passed ball saw their fifth run score, and a wild pitched scored their sixth. No runs would be scored for the rest of the game and Oswego won, 15-6. Oswego finished the game with 20 hits, six doubles, and three homeruns. 

Game two of the double header was a the exact opposite of game one. The Lakers were the first to find the scoreboard. Paul Tammaro led off with a walk for the Lakers. New Paltz got two outs, but Tammaro stole second and third in the process, he scored on single. Both teams went scoreless on through the top of the fifth. In the bottom half, Ryan Enos led off with a walk, he moved to second on a Kyle Lauria single, and scored on Lukas Olsson double to left, for the Lakers second run. The Lakers held the Hawks scoreless over the final two innings and won 2-0 in the seven inning bout. The Lakers were held to four hits, but walked six times. Paul Tammaro stole four bases in the game. New Paltz was held to three singles and a lone walk in the game.

The third game of the series was played Sunday. The Lakers grabbed the early lead again in this game. A Ryan Enos single in the bottom of the first followed by a Kyle Lauria walk brought Lukas Olsson to the plate. He smacked a double into left and drove in both runners for the 2-0 lead. A one-two-three top of the second was followed by a lead off double by Jacob Levine in the bottom half. A single moved him to third, and he scored on a double-play. The Lakers kept their momentum going and Paul Tammaro singled with two outs. He moved to third on an error, and Enos walked to have runners at first and third. Lauria tripled driving in both, and he then scored on an Olsson single. Oswego left the inning up 6-0. New Paltz grabbed one in the third, but Oswego answered with one of their in the bottom half. A scoreless fourth was followed by a five run fifth for the Lakers, a CJ McCarthy three run shot, and a Lauria two run single. Oswego also got one in the sixth, a lead off solo homer by Sam Allen. The Hawks got their second run in the top of the seventh. New Paltz got one in the top of the eight, and in the bottom of the eight, Oswego grabbed one more too. The game ended with Oswego winning 14-3. Oswego had 18 hits and seven walks in the game. Kyle Lauria led the team with four RBIs, with Lukas Olsson and CJ McCarthy both having three.

The Lakers now have a 13-3 (3-0 SUNYAC) record. They are currently 20th in the national poll. Their next game is Wednesday against St. John Fisher in Rochester, and that’s followed by three game set with the Plattsburgh Cardinals on Friday and Saturday.

Men’s basketball season comes to an end in wire to wire matchup

MARIETTA O.H.  A historic season by the Oswego State men’s basketball team came to end Friday night in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Division 3 tournament. After winning the first two rounds in Swarthmore, the team was sent to Marietta, Ohio to take on the the Marietta College Pioneers, the hosts of the new pod. A matchup between two top 25 ranked teams, Marietta number two and Oswego number 17, was set to be a tough one for both sides.

The Lakers got on the board first from an Ahkee Anderson three. The Lakers were the ones hitting their shots early, and just five minutes in they held an 8-2 lead. It didn’t take Marietta long to find their stride and by the ten minute mark it was only a 16-15 lead for Oswego. The teams went back and forth draining baskets, and Marietta grabbed their first lead of the game, 22-21, just under the eight minute mark. The Pioneers would then went on a 14-6 run over the next five minutes to grab a nine point lead. The Lakers closed the lead to four with 36 second to go on a Jeremiah Sparks three, but Marietta’s Lukas Isaly hit a three with six second to go to give the Pioneers a seven point lead, 43-36, into the halftime break. Oswego came out of the locker rooms hot. A Devin Green three got the half started, and they grabbed a 47-46 lead with 15 minutes remaining. The Lakers kept pushing and just a minute and a half later they led 56-47, a 20-4 run coming out of the half. Marietta went on a run of their own, 11-2, to tie the game at 58, with eight minutes to play, and then grabbed a 64-61 lead on a Tim Kreeger layup and one with six minutes in the game. Devin Green hit a three with five to go to give Oswego their final lead of the game, 66-65. Marietta kept hitting their shots, and extended the lead to 10, 78-68, with a 1:48 to go. The Lakers got as close as five on three straight free throw makes from Green, 80-75, but the Pioneers weren’t letting the lead slip away and they moved on the Elite Eight 89-81. Devin Green was the Laker’s leader with 22 points tying his season high, he was 5-10 from three and 7-13 overall. Jeremiah Sparks added 19 points and Ahkee Anderson had 12 to go with six assists. Jamal Achille and Brendon Mulson had seven and six rebounds respectively to lead the team. Marietta’s Jason Ellis had had 28 points, with Lukas Isaly and Tim Kreeger both contributing 17. Marietta moves on to take on Christopher Newport University in the Elite Eight. 

Oswego’s season comes to an end with a record of 27-3, a school record for wins in a season. They clinched their eighth SUNYAC Championship and fifth since the 2011-12 season. They claimed their sixth appearance in the NCAA tournament, and their third sweet sixteen appearance, the farthest the team has ever gotten (2016, 2019). Devin Green was the Lakers overall scoring leader at 12.2 points per game, with Jeremiah Sparks (11.8) and Julien Crittendon (10.5) the other to Lakers above 10 ppg. Green (5.7), Sparks (5.5), Brendon Mulson (5.5), and Christian Simmons (5.3) all averaged over five rebounds per games, with Jamal Achille averaging 4.4. Ahkee Anderson ran the point for Oswego most of the season and he led the team in assists per game at 3.0 as a freshman, also contributing 8.4 points. The Lakers are seeing seven seniors graduate, Forward Brendon Mulson, Forward Christian Simmons, Guard Eric Sanfilippo, Forward Jordan Brown, Forward Hunter Cole, Guard Julien Crittendon, and Center Louis Fedullo.

Men’s Basketball takes pod, moves on to sweet sixteen

 

SWARTHMORE P.A.  The Oswego State Men’s basketball team took the the road last weekend to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. After Monday’s selection show it was announced that they would play Hood College of Frederick, Maryland in the first round, with the winner moving on to take on the winner of Swarthmore and Keene State of New Hampshire. 

Oswego and Hood were the second game in the entire tournament to tip off, with the time set for 3:05 Friday afternoon. Jamal Achille started the scoring for both sides with an early three, but that was quickly followed by six straight points from Hood for an early 6-3 lead. The two sides kept it close throughout the early part of the first half, but the three point barrage from Hood’s Evan Wang saw them grab a nine point advantage, 25-16, with nine to play. The Lakers then found their stride, an 18-2 run to end the half saw them go to the locker rooms up 34-27. Evan Wang had 18 of Hood’s 27 in the first half. The teams traded baskets to start the second half, with Oswego extending their lead to just ten, 47-37 with just under 14 minutes to play. Hood then went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to five, and after a made Oswego basket, hit a three to cut it to four. Then the Laker’s hit their stride again, a 14-2 run saw the lead jump to 66-50 with seven and a half minutes to play. Hood fought the rest of the game, but the lead never dropped below nine for Oswego, and the Lakers moved on to the round of thirty-two with a 82-73 victory. Jamal Achille led Oswego with 20 point and 12 rebounds, nine of them offensive. Four other Lakers had nine or better in the points column, Devin Green (17), Jeremiah Sparks (10), Brendon Mulson (9), and Julien Crittendon (9). Evan Wang (21) came in second in points for Hood to his twin brother Mason Wang (23).

Keene State won the other matchup in the pod over hosts Swarthmore, so the two sides met Saturday afternoon for a chance to move into the sweet sixteen. Jamal Achille picked up where he left off and scored nine points in the first six minutes, with Ahkee Anderson contributing four, to give the Lakers a 13-10 lead. Devin Green found his scoring stride, scoring seven of Oswego’s next 12  to give them a 25-14 lead with seven to go in the half. The Lakers kept pushing, and by halftime they led 48-28. Jamal Achille and Christian Simmons each had 13 in the half, with Anderson and Green both having nine. Keene State was led by Octavio Brito who had 12. Jamal Achille hit the twenty point mark with 15 still to play on a two-handed slam down low, and Oswego had a 57-32 lead. Keene State then went on a 19-9 run to close the gap to 15 with just under eight minutes in the game. Keene State cut the lead to 13 with 5:10 to go. Oswego hit a couple of shots to push the lead back to 18, and then both sides went scoreless for a little over two minutes. Hunter Cole had five of Oswego’s last seven in the final minute of play, and Oswego moved on with another win, 84-63. Jamal Achille again led the team, this time with 22, and Ahkee Anderson had his season high with 17. Christian Simmons added 16 of his own off the bench, and Devin Green had 11 to close out the Lakers in double digit scoring. Octavio Brito led Keene State in scoring with 24, and Mason Jean-Baptiste had 19, no other players had over 5 five points.

The Lakers and their fifth ranked defense now head to Marietta, Ohio to take on the Marietta Pioneers in the sweet sixteen. Marietta hosted the first two rounds of play as well, beating Madaille College 91-79 in the first round and the University of Rochester 88-83 in the second round. Marietta is led by 17.3 point-per-game scorer, senior guard Jason Ellis, who had 25 in the first round, but was held to only 10 in the second. Their second leading scorer is senior guard Lukas Isaly who averages 15.3, he had 15 in the first round, and had a game high 33 vs Rochester. They also have two other ten plus point scorers in seniors Tim Kreeger and Mason Lydic, who average 11.8 and 10.8 respectively. Marietta is 20th in the country in team scoring at 84.7 points per game. The winner of this matchup plays the winner of Christopher Newport University of Newport News, Virginia and Stockton University of Galloway Township, New Jersey.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

Oswego men’s hockey advances to SUNYAC final

OSWEGO N.Y.  The Oswego State men’s hockey team took a mid-week semi-final head on. After finishing the regular season second in the SUNYAC standings, they got the advantage of a first round bye and got to host a semi-final game. After the first round of matchups was completed the Cortland Red Dragons were set to come to Oswego Wednesday night to take on the Lakers. The Lakers knew exactly what to do to move on, and just 23 seconds into the game Alex DiCarlo fired a shot over the left shoulder of SUNYAC Goaltender of the Year and Co-Player of the Year Luca Durante to give the Lakers the early lead. Just nine minutes later Ryan Dickinson grabbed the puck in the neutral zone passed it up to Shane Bull. He cut hard to the center of the ice and fired a wrist shot over the stick side to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead just 10 minutes into the game, Dickinson picked up his second assist of the night too. Oswego led 15-11 in shots after the first period. The second period started with the Laker’s killing off a penalty that was left over from the first stanza. Both squads played good defense throughout the middle period and no goals were scored. The best play of the frame came from Oswego captain Travis Broughman had a diving poke check to tip the puck away from a Cortland player who was one-on-one with the goalie. Oswego led in shots in the second period 16-7. The third period started with the Lakers third goal, Tommy Cahill took a pass in the slot and fired it through a screen just two minutes in. Durante had a few good saves throughout the final frame including a tough save on a wide open shot from Alex DiCarlo on a drop pass from Broughman. Cortland would pull Durante with four to play to try and fight back. With two left in the game, Cahill caused a turnover and passed it into the neutral zone for Shane Bull. Bull swung it up to Tyler Flack who buried it into the empty net and officially close the game for the Lakers. Connor Sleeth led the Lakers in shots on goal with eight. Cahill, Bull, and Dickinson all had two points in the game. 

Oswego now heads West to Geneseo for a Saturday night championship matchup with the Knights. The two sides have met twice this season, with Geneseo coming out on top in both games, 6-1 in Oswego then 4-2 in Geneseo. The Knights are led by SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, and forty point scorer Peter MorganMorgan had three points in the first meeting and one in the second. The Knights beat Brockport Wednesday 3-1, led by Dan Bosio‘s two power play goals, one coming with an empty net, and Morgan‘s two assists. WTOP10 will be live tweeting from the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena in Geneseo during the game with updates. WYNO will be broadcasting the game on the radio and wnyo889.org

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WILLIAM ROGERS, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Oswego State women’s hockey falls in overtime to Cortland

OSWEGO N.Y.  The Oswego State women’s hockey team had a tough matchup Tuesday night, a NEWHL semi-final matchup versus the Cortland Red Dragons in the Deborah F. Stanley Arena. The teams had met three times in the regular season with Oswego taking two of the three, but at the end of all three matchups the teams were separated by only one goal. Tuesday nights contest ended no different. The first period was all Cortland. The Red Dragons looked like the more dominant team throughout the entire period and they outshot the Lakers 10-3. Cortland had the only power play of the period, they got off four shots, but Oswego killed it. The first period ended with both teams getting penalties, and four-on-four hockey ensued that carried over to the start off the second period, but again no goals were scored. Oswego fought back in the second period, outshooting Cortland 13-2. Oswego got the second power play of the game, but the Cortland penalty-kill unit came out on top. The third frame was all Lakers again, beating Cortland in shots on goal 13-4, and getting a lot of their best looks at goal in the entire game. Cortland got their second power play of the game in the final period of regulation, but Oswego out shot them 1-0 in those two minutes. The third period ended scoreless, and the teams headed to OT. Cortland got their third and final power play of the game in OT, but Oswego kept a perfect record on the penalty kill in the game. Cortland would keep the puck in their own offensive zone after the power play though. A shot from the point by Cortland’s Dany Donegan bounced through traffic and found the netting behind Oswego goalie Joanna Hiebert for the game winner, 1-0. Hiebert had 21 saves in the game and finished her season with a 12-4-1 record this season. Cortland goalie Molly Goergen had thirty saves on the night.  Oswego’s Ashlynn McGrath led the team with six shots. Morgan Shines was 9-13 in the face-off circle. 

Cortland advances to take on Plattsburgh in the NEWHL final game. Oswego finishes their season 16-8-1 overall, 13-4-1 in conference. It was the final game in the green-and-gold for seniors Chyne Kennedy, Philomena Teggart, and Aislinn McAleerKennedy was Oswego’s third highest point getter with 18 this season, Teggart wore the captains badge this season and ended third on the team in assists with 11. McAleer was one of only seven players to play all 25 games this season.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

 

Men’s basketball: SUNYAC championship recap and NCAA tournament preview

OSWEGO N.Y.  The Oswego State men’s basketball started their playoffs with a SUNYAC championship victory. They were the top seeded team in the tournament because they had the best regular season record in the conference. This saw them host both semi-final matchups and the finals. The first round of the tournament was on Tuesday, the winner’s of those two games would travel to Oswego to take on the Lakers, and the other team with a first round bye, Oneonta. 

Excitement was building in the team after it was announced Tuesday night that Oswego would get their rematch with New Paltz, the team that had beat them just a few weeks prior to give them their only SUNYAC loss of the season. It was Jeremiah Sparks’ early seven points that helped the Lakers take an 8-2 lead. After the first ten minutes of play the Lakers still held the lead, 25-17, with Jamal Achille scoring six of his own to help out. The final ten minutes of the half saw the Lakers find their stride, a 23-5 run saw seniors Julien CrittendonBrendon Mulson, and Christian Simmons combine for eighteen points, and the both teams headed to the locker rooms with the Lakers leading 48-22. The Lakers shot an incredible 66.7% in the first half. Oswego went on another run coming out of the half, and with just under fourteen to play, Oswego led 62-30. Eleven points from Kaleb Cook and seven from Sean Edwards in the final ten minutes helped the Lakers close the game out, and get revenge on the Hawks with a 94-60 victory. Five Lakers reached double digit scoring, Julien Crittendon (15), Jeremiah Sparks (13), Devin Green (12), Jamal Achille (11), and Kaleb Cook (11). Jeremiah Sparks had four steals in the game and Devin Green had three, with Oswego having a total of 15 in the game. With the win they moved on to take on the Oneonta Red Dragons who beat Brockport, 64-54, in the other Semi-final matchup.

Brendon Mulson was the Lakers fast starter in the Championship bout, scoring seven of Oswego’s first nine en route to a 9-0 lead. Half way through the first frame, Oswego was doubling Oneonta’s score 18-9. By the end of the first half Jeremiah Sparks and Julien Crittendon had combined for eighteen points, and the Lakers led 38-19. Oswego reached fifty points and a thirty point advantage on the same play, a Julien Crittendon layup with fourteen minutes to go. With eight minutes to go Oswego’s lead grew to thirty-five. Oneonta showed fight down the stretch making five threes before the end of the game, but the Lakers victory was all but assured and the game ended 81-60. Jeremiah Sparks (18) was Oswego’s scoring leader, with Devin Green (15), Jamal Achille (11) and Julien Crittendon (10) all reaching double digits. Achille and Green had nine and eight rebounds respectively. This championship victory was the Oswego’s fifth in ten seasons. After the game Jeremiah SparksJamal AchilleJulien Crittendon, and Devin Green were all named to the all tournament team, with Sparks being named tournament MVP.

https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/basketball-men/d3/2022

After the win, the Lakers were guaranteed a spot in the NCAA Division 3 Tournament. The selection show was Monday afternoon, with the Laker’s waiting to hear their opponent and where they would be playing. It was determined by the selection committee that Oswego would be one of three teams traveling to hosts Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA just outside of Philadelphia. Oswego’s first round matchup will be against Hood College from Frederick, MD, with the winner of that matchup playing the winner of Swarthmore and Keene State from Keene, NH.

Hood College plays in the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth. They came in second in their conference, beating the conference winner, Eastern University, 75-71 in the championship game. The Hood Blazers were 20-6 this season, going 14-2 in conference. Hood is led by senior brothers Mason and Evan Wang. Mason Wang led Hood with 22.4 points per game, while also contributing 5.0 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists per game, and 2.3 steals per game. Evan Wang is the second leading scorer at 14.1 points per game, also with 5.0 rebounds per game, and leading the team in assists at 3.8 per game. Christopher Smalls is their third highest scorer with 9.8 points per game. Hood averages 81.9 points per game, with teams averaging 74.1 against them. They shoot 44.5% from the field and 38.1% from three. The two sides have never played each other before.

The game against Hood College is Friday, March 4th. Tip off is set for 3:05 P.M. The winner’s of the two games will play Saturday at 5:35 in Swarthmore.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS

BRACKET PROVIDED BY NCAA.COM

 

Men’s basketball: SUNYAC preview

OSWEGO N.Y.  The Oswego State men’s basketball completed their season last weekend. One of the most dominant season’s in program history saw them lose only two games all season and only one in conference play. Their first loss came to Nazareth on November 23 and their second coming February 11 to New Paltz. Between the two losses, seventeen straight wins. They finished the season ranked seventeenth in the country, at their highest they were ranked fourteenth. They finished with a record of 23-2, 17-1 in conference play. 

On Friday, they are set to play the New Paltz Hawks once more. The two teams play for the third time this season, and the for the second in the Max Ziel Gymnasium. The first time the two sides met was January 29 in Oswego, The Lakers came out victorious 82-53. Devin Green led the Lakers that day with thirteen points, including 4-7 from three. Kaleb Cook and Christian Simmons both contributed eleven. The second matchup was just two weeks ago, this time in New Paltz. In a game that most thought Oswego would walk away with just as they had almost every other game this season, New Paltz shocked Oswego and grabbed a one point victory. Jeremiah Sparks led all Lakers that night with fifteen points. With a rematch on the cards, and both teams looking to win the season series, the winner of the final matchup gets to move on to the SUNYAC Final, to play the winner of Brockport and Oneonta.

The Lakers were led this season by Sophomore guard Jeremiah Sparks and Junior guard Devin Green, both averaging 11.4 points per game. Julien Crittendon and Christian Simmons were the only other two Lakers to average over 10 points per game, 11.0 and 10.4 respectively. Devin Green was the fourth best three point shooter in the country this year, hitting threes at a 47.45% clip. Sparks and Green were also the teams rebounding leaders at 5.8 rebounds per game each, with Brendon Mulson right behind 5.7. What made Oswego stand out this year, was their team defense. Oswego allowed a measly 59.4 points against per game, the fourth best defense in the nation. They also held teams to a 37.2 field goal percentage, the fifth lowest in the nation.

The Lakers, led by head coach Jason Leone, are looking to win the tournament and get a bid to the NCAA tournament. The winner of Friday’s matchups will play in the SUNYAC championship game on Saturday. All games are being held at SUNY Oswego. WTOP10 will have coverage of all three playoff games, and any potential NCAA games played at Oswego.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MATT HERNANDEZ, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

SUNYAC BRACKET COURTESY OF SUNYAC WEBSITE

Men’s basketball finishes the season with two wins

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team finished their season this past weekend. Having already clinched the first seed for the SUNYAC tournament, these games were just momentum builders for the tournament. The Lakers were set to play the Brockport Golden Eagles and Fredonia Blue Devils, both games at home.

Friday night’s game against Brockport started close, 8-7 after five minutes. Then Oswego found their rhythm, a 13-0 run saw the lead jump to 21-8 with thirteen minutes left in the half. Jamal Achille made it a twenty point lead with just under four minutes remaining, 39-19. The Lakers biggest lead in the half was twenty-four with fifty seconds remaining, and by the end of the half Brockport closed the lead slightly to 49-29. The Golden Eagles attempted to bring it back multiple times in the second half, but Oswego always answered. Brockport got the deficit to seventeen with just under fourteen minutes left, and the smallest gap in the second half, fifteen, with nine and a half to go in the game. Oswego reached eighty points with three minutes to go in the game on an Ahkee Anderson free throw, and from there the reserves checked in to finish the game. Oswego scored three more times after Anderson‘s free throws and won the game 87-63. Five Lakers found double digit scoring in the game, Ahkee Anderson (16), Jamal Achille (16), Devin Green (13), Julien Crittendon (12), and Christian Simmons (11). Green also added ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

The final game of the season was against the Fredonia Blue Devils. Before the game stared the Lakers recognized their seven seniors, Brendon Mulson, Christian Simmons, Eric Sanfilippo, Jordan Brown, Hunter Cole, Julien Crittendon, Louis Fedullo. Simmons, Sanfilippo, Cole, Crittendon, and Fedullo were the starters for the game, while Mulson and Brown were the first two off the bench. Christian Simmons stole the show early, he hit two three and had two layups for the Lakers first ten points while the Blue Devils only had six just three minutes into the game. An 11-0 Lakers run behind four from Jordan Brown and Jeremiah Sparks saw the lead get to 21-6 with thirteen to go in the half. Oswego kept pushing the gap with the lead 27-10 after a Kaleb Cook layup with ten to go in the frame. Just under the seven minute mark was when Oswego reached the forty point mark on a Julien Crittendon three, and the lead was twenty-five. Another nine from the Lakers and ten from the Blue Devils before the end of the half saw both teams head to the locker rooms, Oswego up 49-25. Simmons started the second half exactly where he started the first, he had twelve points in the first five minutes of the half, and Oswego’s advantage ballooned to thirty-four, 67-33. Oswego reached eighty on an Ahkee Anderson jumper with eleven and a half to go. The biggest play of the game came with nine minutes remaining, Jordan Brown tipped a three point attempt by Fredonia’s Aaron Collins, Jamal Achille grabbed the ball and threw it up court to a wide open Brown who slammed it down with one hand to extend the lead to 84-37. With seven to go, the Lakers reserves checked in to finish the regular season. They got Oswego over the century mark for the fourth time this season and second time this month and Oswego walked away victorious in their final game, 104-55. Christian Simmons led the Lakers with his season high twenty-four points. Two other Lakers went were over ten, Julien Crittendon (12) and Jeremiah Sparks (11). Sixteen Lakers found the score sheet.

Oswego finished the season with a record of 23-2 (17-1 SUNYAC). They hold the first seed in the conference and will host both semi-final matchups and the finals for the SUNYAC tournament starting Friday. WTOP10 will have coverage of all games played on Oswego’s campus.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DIANA VITALE, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Oswego State women’s hockey completes comeback against SUNY Potsdam

POTSDAM N.Y. — The Oswego women’s hockey team is in the midst of a fight for playoff seeding in the NEWHL. Coming into Tuesday night’s matchup in Potsdam they had three games remaining. The game against the Bears was a big one, the Lakers have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, but Potsdam still fighting for that final seed.

The Lakers took the first period. The lone goal of the period coming on the power play. Morgan Shines passed the puck up to the offensive blue line. Captain Philomena Teggart grabbed the puck and skated to the middle, Shines and Mack Hull set up a screen in front of goal and Teggart took a shot low on the goalies glove side and put it just inside the post. The Lakers killed a late power play for the Bears, and finished the first up on the scoreboard. They dominated the period, winning shots on goal 18-4.

The Lakers almost beat themselves at the start of the second period. A power play three minutes into the period for the Bears and a power play nine minutes in both got killed by the Lakers, with Laker goalie Joanna Hiebert making a few nice saves to keep the Lakers up. Unfortunately, quickly after the end of the second power play the Bears tied the game. Potsdam won possession at their offensive blue line setting up a two-on-two, and forward Kaylee Merrill threatened a pass but took it herself and scored a goal that was assisted by former Laker Megan Teachout. Just four minutes later Merrill picked off a Laker pass and took it one-on-one down the ice and scored a shorthanded goal to give the Bears a 2-1 lead and get her second goal of the night. Oswego again led in shot 15-11.

The third period started with the Lakers finishing off a penalty kill. The Lakers would go on the penalty kill again just before the three minute mark in the period. The Laker would kill it and clear the puck out of the defensive zone. The puck would skip a Bears players stick and Morgan Shines would gather and shoot it to the high blocker side for her team leading ninth goal and tie the game back up at two a piece with fifteen to go. The Lakers would go on a power play with 7:30 to go. Chyne Kennedy would make a key play to keep stop Potsdam for clearing the puck. She would pass the puck to Simone Bednarik who would pass it to Ariella Haas would put the puck in the back of the net for what was the game winning goal. The Lakers defensive would step up and stop a few Potsdam chances, including a late penalty kill, and the game would finish 3-2 in the Lakers favor. Joanna Hiebert would finish the game with twenty saves and improve her record to 10-3-1.

With the win, the Lakers have now won six straight and have a record of 14-0-7-1 (11-0-4-1 NEWHL). They are currently tied with Cortland in the standings, but sit a seed below due to the tiebreaker being head-to-head with the one seed, in this case Plattsburgh. The Lakers have two games left in the season and need to win out and need Cortland to lose one of their final two, both against SUNY Canton. The first of the Lakers final two games is Friday February, 18 in Morrisville against the Mustangs. WTOP10 will have continuing coverage of the Oswego women’s hockey team through the rest of the season and NEWHL playoffs.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s basketball takes first SUNYAC loss

ONEONTA N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team is one of the hottest teams in the country. Coming into the weekend they were undefeated in conference play, had only one loss on the season, and had won seventeen straight games. Oswego was set to go on the road to take on the New Platz Hawks and the Oneonta Red Dragons. They had taken on these two teams and blown them both out at home two weekends prior, they were hoping to do the same this weekend.

Their first stop of the weekend was New Paltz. When the teams played two weekends ago it was a one vs two matchup in the SUNYAC where the Lakers would come out on top, the Hawks wanted revenge for their loss. The game was close through most of the first half, the Lakers held a 13-10 lead after six minutes, were down 21-20 after eleven minutes, and finally grabbed a sustained lead around the seven minute mark, 25-21, on a Brendon Mulson three. A three from Ahkee Anderson with five to go would give the Lakers a 30-23 lead, but New Paltz would use the last five minutes to go on a 14-5 run and the half would end with New Paltz up 37-35. The teams traded baskets for most of the second half, a Jeremiah Sparks three with twelve to go gave the Lakers a six point lead, the largest lead for either team in the half. A Sparks dunk with four minutes left gave the Lakers a four point lead, and then the Hawks would score the next six points to give them a 62-60 lead. Devin Green would go to the line and make the first but miss the second, a rebound on the miss by Brendon Mulson led to a Sparks layup to give the Lakers a one point lead. With fifteen seconds left New Paltz hit a layup to go up one and then got a steal to hand Oswego their first loss since November 23, 64-63. Jeremiah Spark led the Lakers with fifteen points, with Ahkee Anderson contributing twelve and Jamal Achille ten.

Game two of the road trip came against Red Dragons of Oneonta on Saturday. The Lakers looked to make up for the loss the night before and move on. Devin Green was the leader for the Lakers from the tip. He scored the ten of Oswego’s first twenty points on way to a 20-10 lead after eight minutes. The game was back and forth the remaining twelve minutes with Jeremiah Sparks hitting the final shot of the half for either team around the two minute mark. The teams would head to the locker rooms with Oswego leading 31-23. Oswego grew their lead to eleven four minutes into the second half on a Kaleb Cook three. With just under seven minutes left they grew the lead to fourteen, 56-42. Oneonta would go on a 9-0 run to close the gap to five before five straight points from Brendon Mulson would seal the game. Two free throws from each team saw them get to the final score of 63-53. Devin Green led the Lakers with nineteen points and eight rebounds. Jeremiah Sparks was the only other double digit scorer on the Lakers with ten of his own. Jamal Achille and Brendon Mulson both had nine points.

With the win Saturday the Lakers clinched the top seed in the SUNYAC tournament. Their record is now 21-2 (15-1 SUNYAC). They sit 14th in the national rankings as of Monday February, 7. Oswego has the final two games of their season next weekend, the first on Friday February, 18 vs Brockport at home. WTOP10 will have coverage of both games on YouTube and Twitch.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY WILLIAM ROGERS, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Oswego State men’s basketball continues dominate run

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball walked into the weekend on a dominant stretch of games. A fifteen-game win streak that included seven wins by more than twenty points. A Friday night matchup against the Potsdam Bear and a Saturday afternoon bout against the Plattsburgh Cardinals became just two more games during one of the dominant stretches in program history.

Potsdam kept it close through the beginning of the first first half. The Lakers held a 9-8 lead after five minutes, and a 26-22 lead with eight and half to go. Then the Lakers found their stride. Oswego went on a 24-3 run to end the half lead by eight from Ahkee Anderson. The Lakers went to the locker rooms up 50-25. The second half was all Lakers. Oswego extended the lead to thirty-five with thirteen left to play on a Louis Fedullo layup. The bench finished the game from there, the final score 85-58. Devin Green led the Lakers with fifteen points and added 5 rebounds. Ahkee Anderson (14), Jeremiah Sparks (12), and Christian Simmons (11) all had over ten points. Brendon Mulson had six points and seven rebounds. It was also head coach Jason Leone’s 200th win as the Lakers coach.

Saturday’s matinee against the Plattsburgh Cardinals saw the Cardinals find the score board first with a layup, then quickly find themselves in a 13-2 deficit. The Lakers pushed the lead to twenty-four with six minutes left in the half, 34-10, with ten points from Jeremiah Sparks. Julien Crittendon hit two three later in the half, and the Lakers reached the fifty point mark before half time, and went to the locker rooms up 52-23. The Lakers would also have a fifty point second half, and for the third time this season would have over 100 points, winning 103-61. Julien Crittendon (18) led the Lakers in points, while Jeremiah Sparks (13) and Jamal Achille (11) were the only other Lakers with over ten points. Sixteen Lakers found the bottom of the net on the night.

Oswego now has twenty wins on the season with a perfect conference record of 14-0. They jumped up in last weeks national poll to #17. Their win streak now sits at seventeen games, the program record is nineteen straight games. The Lakers next game comes on the road in New Paltz versus against the Hawks next Friday February, 11th. WTOP 10 will have coverage of all homes games on Youtube or Twitch.

PICTURE COURTESY OF DIANA VITALE, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Oswego State Men’s basketball weekend recap: two dominant SUNYAC wins

OSWEGO, N.Y. — The #22 Oswego State men’s basketball team came into the weekend with what looked to be a tough two games. They were set to take on the number three team and the number two team in the SUNYAC, the Oneonta Red Dragon and the New Paltz Hawks. Not only did they come out of the weekend with two wins, they did it in dominant fashion, and sent a message to the rest of the SUNYAC that no one is stopping them.

The first game of the weekend came on Friday night against the Oneonta Red Dragons. The Lakers dominated the whole game, and took a 28-point victory, 86-58. Devin Sparks and Jamal Achille combined for the Lakers first twelve points to take an early 12-5 lead. A Julien Crittendon layup with eight minutes to go in the first half would create a 26-15 lead. Oswego’s lead wouldn’t fall below ten for the rest of the game. Oswego headed to the locker rooms up 41-22. The Lakers shot 16-34 (47%) from the field and 4-10 (40%) from deep. The Red Dragons shot 8-28 (28.6%) from the field and 2-7 (28.6%) from deep. The Lakers came out firing in the second half. Sixteen points from Jeremiah Sparks and four from Brendon Mulson saw the Lakers lead balloon to 62-36 with twelve still to go in the half. By the five and a half minute mark Oswego’s lead was 75-45, and the reserves came in to finish the game out. Jeremiah Sparks led the Lakers with 20 points. Christian Simmons added sixteen and Devin Green had ten with nine boards. The Lakers had fourteen different scorers on the night and twenty-one different players get minutes. Oswego shot 51% from the field in the second half for 33-67 (49%) for the game, and a total 7-20 (35%) from three.

Coming off the high of beating the number three team in the SUNYAC Friday, they came into Saturday’s game against the number two team in the SUNYAC, New Paltz, looking to keep the momentum going. They didn’t fail, and blew out the Hawks 82-53. New Paltz didn’t let the Lakers take the lead right away though, they went up 6-3 after four minutes. The Lakers took over from there. At the nine minute mark in the first half Julien Crittendon made two free throws to give the Lakers a 20-8 lead. Over the next four and a half minutes the Lakers would go on a 14-2 run led by five from Crittendon. Brendon Mulson would score six over the last five minutes with Oswego beating the Hawks 12-9 in the scoring category, with the teams going into the locker rooms, Oswego up 46-19. The Lakers shot 45% from the field and 42% from three in half. The Lakers got the score to 64-29, and the lead to thirty-five, with just under thirteen to go in the game. The Lakers bench would take over from there, and they would get the lead as high as forty-two. The reserves would close the game to get the final score to 82-53. Devin Green led the Lakers with thirteen, with Kaleb Cook and Christian Simmons each adding eleven. Oswego had five other players over five points and thirteen total scorers. Twenty-one players saw playing time for the second game in a row. Ahkee Anderson, Julien Crittendon, and Kaleb Cook each had three steals.

The Lakers no have a record 18-1 (12-0 SUNYAC) with the win streak up to fifteen games. Oswego’s next game is next Friday, February 4 at home in the Max Ziel Gymnasium.

Image Provided By Oswego State Athletics

A Look Ahead: Oswego State men’s basketball in the SUNYAC and the national rankings

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team is in the midst of an all time great season. They currently sit a 16-1 and are on a thirteen game winning streak. They are first in the SUNYAC with a three game lead over SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Oneonta who both sit at 7-3 in the conference. Oneonta comes to Oswego on Friday and are on a five game win streak. New Paltz comes to town Saturday to take on the Lakers, they have back to back wins. Potsdam and Geneseo sit fourth and fifth in the standings, they are followed by Brockport, Cortland, Fredonia, Plattsburgh, and Buffalo State.

The Lakers have eight games left before the SUNYAC playoffs at the end of February. They play Oneonta and New Paltz twice in that span, with games against Potsdam, Plattsburgh, Brockport and Fredonia mixed in. Oswego currently boasts three double digit per game scorers in Senior Julien Crittendon (12.4), Junior Devin Green (11.6), and Sophomore Jeremiah Sparks (11.2). Senior Brendon Mulson has also been an effective scorer at 9.6 points per game, and the recent emergence of Senior Christian Simmons also sees him at 9.6 points per game. He also boasts doubles-doubles in his the last two games. Oswego is the best scoring team in the SUNYAC at 78.8 PPG. They are also the best defensive team in the SUNYAC at 59.8 points against per game, that is also sixth best in Division 3. The team has four players above five rebounds per game, Sparks (6.6), Simmons (6.3), Mulson (5.9), and Green (5.4). Oswego is currently the second best rebounding team in the SUNYAC at 42.9 per game.

The Lakers success was finally rewarded with a national ranking two weeks ago. The team had hovered just outside of the rankings for a few weeks before finally cracking the top 25 with number 25 last week, then jumping up to 22 this week (you can find the rankings here: https://d3hoops.com/top25/men/2021-22/week7). The resume includes the undefeated conference play, and a win against a then ranked Rensaellar Polytechnic Institute, their lone loss coming to a ranked Nazareth (25). With most likely four weeks left of rankings, the Lakers look to climb higher up. The teams around them include the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (21) and Wesleyan University (20) above, and Augsburg (23) and Emory University (24) below.

WTOP10 will have continuing coverage of the Oswego State men’s basketball team. Tune in for all home games on YouTube or Twitch.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

SUNYAC STANDINGS PROVIDED BY SUNYAC WEBSITE

NATIONAL RANKINGS PROVIDED BY D3HOOPS.COM

Men’s basketball grab tenth SUNYAC win

GENESEO, N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team took a trip southwest to Geneseo to take on the Knights on Tuesday. A rematch of the game played in Oswego a week prior saw a much closer game between the teams. Oswego would prevail with a 78-68 win. The Knights got going quick, grabbing the first eleven points of the game before Brendon Mulson would hit a three to get the Lakers on the board. The teams would trade baskets before the Lakers would start to close the gap. With six minutes remaining the Lakers went on a 12-4 run to close the gap to 36-38 going into the half. Jeremiah Sparks had thirteen in the first half lead the Lakers. The Lakers shot 12-30 (40%) from the field in the first half, and 4-14 (29%) from three. Geneseo shot 16-27 (59%) from the field in the first half.

The second half was much more even for both sides. Oswego slightly edging Geneseo in points 16-13 over the first 10 minutes to get the score to 52-51. Oswego would take over from there, with just under five minutes remaining in the game, Julien Crittendon made two free throws to extend the lead to 66-55. Crittendon had 15 of Oswego’s final 26 points and grab victory for the team 78-68. Crittendon led the team with 19 points. Jeremiah Sparks had 18 points to go with 6 rebounds. Christian Simmons had a double-double on the game, 14 points and 14 rebounds, and Devin Green was a rebound shy of his own with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Oswego handed Geneseo theirs fourth straight SUNYAC loss after the Knights came into the game a week ago undefeated in the conference.

Oswego now has a record of 16-1 (10-0 SUNYAC) and their win streak sits at thirteen games. The Lakers next game is home in the Max Ziel Gymnasium against the Oneonta Red Dragons. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. WTOP10 will have coverage of the game starting just before tip.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO STATE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

Women’s basketball loses tough SUNYAC matchup

OSWEGO N.Y. — The women’s basketball team took their fourth straight loss Saturday afternoon. The Lakers kept it close but ultimately lost 55-49 to the Cortland Red Dragons. The Lakers Danielle Caivana opened the scoring in the game with a three. Cortland wouldn’t let the Lakers capitalize on potential early momentum and went on a 17-2 scoring run. Shania Iglesias hit a buzzer beating three at the end of the first quarter to make the score 17-8. The teams traded baskets to start the second quarter. The Red Dragons extended the lead to 34-18 before the Lakers would go on an 8-0 run and close the gap to end the half. The Lakers shot 10-31 (32%) from the field in the first half, and 6-17 (35%) from deep. Cortland shot 14-38 (37%) from the field, and 2-10 from three.

The third quarter started strong for the Lakers, a small 5-0 run in the first two minutes saw them close the gap to 31-34, before Cortland would score their first basket. A two and a half minute scoreless run to the six minute mark was followed by a 9-2 Cortland run to extend their lead back to twelve, and end the frame. Oswego started the fourth like they started the third, this time four quick points out the gate to cut the Cortland lead to six. Cortland would answer with a three and get the lead back to 48-39. The teams would go back and forth for the remainder of the game and get to the final score of 55-49. Shania Iglesias had a team high fourteen points. Danielle Caivana was the only other on the team over double digits with twelve. Diamond Pickett had ten rebounds to go with six points. The team finished the game 19-66 (29%) shooting, and 8-31 (26%) from three.

The women’s basketball team currently sit at 3-11 (0-8 SUNYAC). Their next game is in Geneseo against the Knights as the look for their first in conference win. Tip off is set for 5:30 on p.m. Tuesday, January 25. WTOP 10 will continue to provide coverage of the Oswego State women’s basketball team as the group continues their 2021-22 season.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Mens basketball stays hot with twelfth straight win

CORTLAND, N.Y. — The Oswego State Men’s Basketball team took to the road Saturday afternoon to take on the Cortland Red Dragons. They continued their hot streak with a 72-64 win. The game started well for the Lakers, building a double digit lead early in the first half. Devin Green had eight points and Brendon Mulson had seven on the way to 21-11 lead with nine to go in the first. The Red Dragons weren’t letting the Lakers get away, a 10-2 run brought them right back into the game. The Lakers would hold the lead at the half 34-29. The Lakers shot 35% from the field and a cool 5-19 from deep. Cortland shot 32% from the field and 4-15 from three.

The Red Dragons came out of the locker rooms hot, a 15-8 run helped them take a 44-42 lead with fifteen to play. Ahkee Anderson scored seven points, and a Mulson layup, would get lead lead back to five at 51-46. The teams would trade baskets the rest of the game, and two made free throws from Green saw the Lakers close the game out, 72-64. Brendon Mulson was Lakers leading scorer with fourteen while adding six rebounds. Jeremiah Sparks had thirteen points to go with eight rebounds. Christian Simmons had a double double, eleven points and eleven rebounds. Devin Green added twelve and Ahkee Anderson had eleven, both with seven boards.

The Lakers travel to the Geneseo for their next game on Tuesday, January 25. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. in Geneseo. Oswego currently sits at 15-1 (9-0 SUNYAC) and are ranked #25 in the country.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

Oswego State men’s basketball take three wins on the road

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Lakers took a full week of games head on, winning all three games they played including two huge scoring outputs. The first game of the week came on Tuesday against the Buffalo State Bengals in Buffalo, the final score a whopping 109-72, the first of two times they would score 109 this week. The game started close, 11-10 after five minutes with Devin Green connecting from deep twice. Oswego would take off from there, a 19-5 scoring run with six points from Ahkee Anderson and ten from Christian Simmons saw the lead grow to 30-15. The Lakers would score 24 more over the next ten minutes, and would go into the half with a commanding 52-32 lead. Oswego was an excellent 54.3% from the field in the first half, and 47% from beyond the arc. The second half was just more Oswego domination, the lead wouldn’t fall below twenty, and was up to forty with a minute to go. A few garbage time points from the Bengals saw a final score of 109-72. The Lakers were led by twenty-two from Simmons, who added eight rebounds. Green added seventeen to the score line, 5-10 from three on the night. Anderson and Jamal Achille had fourteen and twelve respectively. Four other lakers would have more than eight points.

Game two of the week came on the road against the Potsdam Bears. A tighter contest on the scoreboard saw Oswego win 76-58. The Lakers would find themselves down one after ten minutes. Devin Green helped keep it close with a pair of threes early. A Jeremiah Sparks lay-up would cap off a 12-2 Lakers run that would take the lead for Lakers, 29-20. The Lakers and Bears would go back and forth the remainder of the half and would go into the locker rooms with Oswego up 40-29. The Lakers capitalized on turnovers scoring twelve of their points on seven Potsdam turnovers. The Bears didn’t let the lead grow too much to start the second half, the score was 51-36 after the first five minutes. Ahkee Anderson would assist on back to back baskets and the lead would grow to nineteen. With seven minutes remaining in the game, the Bears had cut the lead to only seven. Successful threes and good defense helped the Bears get back into the game. Julien Crittendon would hit a three to extend the lead back to ten and take momentum back from Potsdam. The Lakers would use the momentum to close the game out for the final score of 76-58. Crittendon would lead the team in points with seventeen. Jamal Achille had sixteen on the night while sharing the rebound lead with Sparks at nine. Sparks would add twelve of his own.

The final game of the week was against the Plattsburgh Cardinals in Plattsburgh. It was domination again for the Lakers as they won 109-70. Plattsburgh took four of the first six points before the Lakers took the reigns of the game. Eighteen straight points over four and half minutes saw the Lakers take the lead that would last the rest of the game. The Lakers had over half their points in the first half, going into the locker rooms up 62-31. The Lakers utilized their bench during the half, with 38 of their points being from the bench. The defense was also on the point forcing sixteen turnovers. The Lakers extended their lead to 45 over the first eight minutes of the second half. Both teams would go back and forth through the rest of the game and get to the final of 109-72. Five Lakers would hit the double digit scoring mark, freshman Marcus Shelton leading the team with fourteen off the bench. Christian Simmons added thirteen points and seven rebounds, with Devin Green, Jeremiah Sparks, and Kaleb Cook all with ten. Ahkee Anderson and Brendon Mulson added nine each. 66 of the Lakers points came from the bench. The team shot 53.8% from the field, while also an excellent 16-20 from the free throw line.

Oswego’s winning streak now sits at ten games and they have a record of 13-1 (7-0 SUNYAC). Coming into the week they sat just two spots out of the top 25 with 28 points, number 25, Emory, has 40 points. Their next game is against the Geneseo Knights in Oswego on Tuesday, January 18. Geneseo is second in the SUNYAC also undefeated in conference play at 6-0 and are 8-4 on the year.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY OSWEGO ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

Oswego men’s basketball starts 2022 with win

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball started 2022 where they left off in 2021, winning. They took on the Saint Lawrence Saints at home and won by a score of 74-60. The game started close, 8-7 Saints after four minutes with the Laker Kaleb Cook scoring all seven of their points. The following four minutes saw Oswego take the lead on a 10-0 run. Saint Lawrence would close the gap to 22-18 before a 9-1 run, spurred by Jeremiah Sparks‘s two threes, would extend the lead for the Lakers once more. Some back and forth between the teams saw them go into the half with the Lakers up 38-26. The Lakers shot 38% from the field and 10-12 from the free throw line in the half.

The second half started with another Laker run, 13-5, with threes from Devin Green and Sparks. St. Lawrence would respond with an 11-0 run, but Green closed the scoreless Lakers run with another three and the score would be 54-42. The lakers would use the rest of the second half to extend the lead back to twenty points, 72-52. The final three minutes saw the Lakers close the game out and have a final score of 74-60. This game was Devin Green‘s, he led the Lakers in four stat categories. He had twenty points, shooting 4-7 from three, eight rebounds, and a season high six assists and five steals. Kaleb Cook also had a good night with sixteen of his own points, a respectable 7-13 from the field. Jeremiah Sparks and Julien Crittendon had eleven points each as well. The team shot 42% from the field and 41% from deep while also being lights out at the free throw line, shooting 12-14. The team also out rebounded the Saints 38-22.

The Lakers next game comes on the road against Buffalo State, 4-8 (2-4 SUNYAC), on January 11 at 7:30. The Lakers currently sit at 10-1 (4-0 SUNYAC) and are on a seven game win streak. There are fourteen games left in the season for the Lakers, all games are in conference.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Progress Report: Oswego State men’s basketball

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball has had a hot start to the season. They boast a 7-1 record and are undefeated in SUNYAC play over four games. The Lakers started their season on a three game win streak. They hosted the Max Ziel Tournament, beating Elmira and Hobart handily to win the whole thing. They followed the tournament with a non-conference win over Clarkson. They finished their early slate of non-conference games with their lone loss against the Nazareth Golden Flyers on November 23 in a nail bitter, they lost by two points. They opened SUNYAC play on November 30, and have won all four games thus far, beating Cortland, Buffalo State, Brockport, and Fredonia.

The team is led by Senior guard Julien Crittendon who has 12.1 points per game, while getting 2.4 rebounds per game and is second on the team is steals per game at 1.6. The team’s leader in steals per game is Freshman Guard Ahkee Anderson at 2.1 per game. Anderson also leads the team in assists at 3.9 while also contributing 8.0 points and 2.6 rebounds. Junior Guard Devin Green is the teams sharpshooter. He is hitting threes at .457% clip, which leads the team. He contributes 8.5 points per game and collects 4.5 rebounds per game. Oswego’s glass cleaner is Sophomore guard Jeremiah Sparks with 7.0 rebounds per game, while also being second on the team in scoring at 11.9. Grad Transfer Brendon Mulson has also made his impact. He averages 9.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while being a very efficient .448% from the field shooting.

As a team, the defense is what makes them stand out. They lead the SUNYAC in points against per game at 55.8, a whole 10 points lower than second best Brockport. Against conference foes its an even better 53.3 against per game. The offense is middle of the pack so far. They average 74.0 points per game, which sits them seventh.

Currently, the team sits second in the SUNYAC, behind Geneseo who are 4-3, 3-0 in conference. They have seventeen games remaining in the season. They come out of their eighteen day break in the St. John Fisher Tournament against Rensaeller Polytechnic Institute on December 29. The winner will face the winner of St. John Fisher and Medaille on December 30. RPI currently sits 21 in the most recent men’s basketball rankings, while Oswego received 10 votes. No other SUNYAC team received votes or are ranked. The team has three non-conference games remaining, including the tournament, followed by fourteen games of conference play to finish the season. WTOP 10 will have continuing coverage of all home men’s basketball games throughout the season as the Lakers look to continue their early success.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s basketball finishes semester on high, beats Fredonia

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team travelled to Fredonia to take on the Blue Devils Saturday afternoon. Their final game of the semester before an eighteen day break was a successful one with a dominant 63-48 victory. This was a game of scoring runs, with the Lakers starting the game with a 17-0 run over the first six minutes. Six different Lakers found the bottom of the net during that run, with Jeremiah Sparks leading the way with six of the seventeen. Fredonia would pull back some with an 11-4 run over the following six minutes and get the score to 21-11. The remainder of the half would be back and forth, and going into the locker rooms the score was 36-25 Lakers. Both teams were efficient from the free throw line in the half, Oswego shooting 8-11 and Fredonia 10-11.

The second half started with the Lakers pushing their lead to sixteen after five minutes, including an Oswego 6-2 run. Following a Jamal Achille dunk at the thirteen minute mark neither team would score for three straight minutes, with the scoreless run being broken by Laker Devin Green, who got the lead to seventeen again, the score being 51-34. The final ten minutes was back and forth, Oswego responding to every score by Fredonia. Sparks would finish the game for the Lakers at the free throw line, hitting both, and getting the final score to 63-48. The Lakers never faltered from their lead they grabbed in the beginning, the Blue Devils never even tying the score throughout the game. Four Lakers would score ten in the game, with Jeremiah Sparks leading the way with sixteen while adding five rebounds. Ahkee Anderson led Oswego from the free throw line going 6-6, he would have eight points on the night, while also leading the team with four steals. The three point line was not the Lakers friend in this game, Oswego going an ice cold 2-22, both made threes coming in the first half. The defense was big for Oswego in the game, 22 of their 63 points coming off Fredonia turnovers.

Oswego now sit at 7-1 this season while also being 4-0 in the SUNYAC. They sit second in the conference. Their next game is on December 29 versus Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the St. John Fisher tournament. Tip off is set for 7:00 P.M. at the Manning & Napier Varsity Gym in Pittsford, N.Y. The final of that tournament comes the following day. WTOP 10 will have continuing coverage of home games throughout the season.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s basketball rolls over Cortland in first SUNYAC matchup

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team took on the Cortland Red Dragons at home in the their SUNYAC opener Tuesday night. A great night on defense for the team saw them shutdown the Red Dragons and win 69-44. A fast start by the Red Dragons saw them grab an early 6-2 lead, but Oswego took control from there. The next twelve minutes saw the Lakers outscore Cortland 25-3, including an eight minute stretch where Cortland wouldn’t score at all. The scoring run was lead by guards Julien Crittendon, ten points, and Devin Green, eight points. The teams went into the locker rooms at the half with Oswego up a commanding 33-16. Oswego held the Cortland to 25% shooting in the first half, and 1-7 from beyond the arc.

The second half started with senior Brendon Mulson hitting a shot for his 1,001 career collegiate point, a major milestone on his part. Oswego would keep the defensive pressure high through the second half, with seven minutes left they had grown the lead to 56-28. After some Cortland makes, Green would add to his scoring output, hitting three straight threes to extend the lead to 65-35. Oswego’s reserves would finish the game from their, and the final score would be a whopping 69-44. Green lead the Lakers in scoring on the night with twenty points, adding four rebounds. Crittendon also had a good night with fourteen points of his own and three steals. Jeremiah Sparks cleaned the boards with fourteen rebounds for Oswego. The Lakers were efficient shooting on the night, 40% overall, while 39% from deep. They also scored nineteen points off turnovers.

The Lakers next game comes against the Buffalo State Bengals (0-4) at home in the Max Ziel Gymnasium. They look to keep the hot start going and extend on their now 4-1 record. Tip off is set for 7:30 P.M. WTOP 10 will have coverage of the game starting just before tip off.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

Men’s basketball falls short, takes first loss of year

OSWEGO N.Y. — The Oswego State men’s basketball team took on Nazareth at home Tuesday night. Playing in their final game before opening SUNYAC play, the team couldn’t complete the comeback, losing 67-65. The game started with Nazareth taking a 10-4 lead early on, but the Lakers would tie it up at ten soon after. The Golden Flyers then went on another scoring run, over the next seven minutes they jumped the score to 23-13. The teams would go back and forth the rest of the half, with the score being 41-33 at the break. Nazareth was very efficient from beyond the arc in the half shooting 8-14. Oswego was also very accurate, shooting 5-8 from three point land.

The game was back and forth for most of the second half, but the Golden Flyers grew the lead to thirteen just with just under six minutes to play. The Lakers started their comeback with a pair of jumpers and a three from freshman guard Julien Crittendon. Oswego then cut the lead to four with just under two to play, and a block from Brendon Mulson would lead to a three for junior guard Devin Green to make the score 66-65 with a minute and half to go. The Lakers couldn’t capitalize on the momentum though, missing two layups and a corner three for the win. The Lakers played tough basketball all game. The second half the defense stepping up, holding Nazareth to 1-5 from deep, and 27% from the field. Jeremiah Sparks led the team in scoring with seventeen points, with Julien Crittendon and Kaleb Cook having thirteen and ten respectively. Mulson cleaned the boards, leading the whole contest with twelve rebounds while also being a point shy a double-double with nine points.

Oswego’s next game is on Tuesday, November 30th vs the Cortland Red Dragons in the Max Ziel Gymnasium. Tip off is set for 7:30 PM.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY SHELBY PEPLOWSKI, WTOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

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